Three Talk Shows Bite the Dust

Three talk shows have been scrapped. "It’s back to the drawing board for companies trying to refresh the conflict-talker genre," B&C reports. "Neither CBS Television Distribution’s 'The Test' nor NBCUniversal’s Trisha Goddard will return next season, and CTD and Tribune’s test of 'Serch' will not go forward."

In a statement, NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution said of "Trisha": "Following the completion of production this season, the show will not be returning for a season three. Trisha is a great talent and we recognize and are grateful for all of the hard work that Trisha and the production staff have put in to the show for the past two seasons."

NBCUniversal is canceling “Trisha” after two seasons. Both "Trisha" and "The Test" this season averaged only a 0.6 household rating and a 0.4 rating in women 25-54. "Trisha" stars Goddard, a British talk show host who had successful U.K. shows on ITV and Channel 5.

“Serch,” which performed well during a test in January, won’t move into full syndication.

CBS TV Distribution did not comment on "The Test" or "Serch."

The Hollywood Reporter calls "The Test" and "Trisha" "the two lowest-rated syndicated talk shows of the 2013-2014 season," noting that "Trisha" averaged about 762,000 total viewers daily while "The Test," hosted by Kirk Fox, pulled in about 889,000.

“It is a bit more surprising that ‘Serch,’ starring MC Serch, isn’t going to get a chance to go national," THR adds. "CBS Television Distribution gave it a three-week test run (one week less than originally announced) on Tribune stations in New York, Los Angeles and elsewhere.

"'Serch' averaged a 1.0 household rating and 2 percent share of the audience, which was slightly down from its lead-in shows. It did improve from week one to week three about 11 percent in the ratings."